Sunday, August 18, 2013

Film Review Round-up 18th August 2013

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS

Just two films this week I can review.  I saw more but they are not releasing yet. This week a highly anticipated film Elysium disappoints and We’re the Millers (that was not on my list of films to see) was actually very entertaining. 

(My movie Pick of the week)
We’re the Millers ★★★ ½  
Opens in Australia: 18th August, 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS
If you enjoy these irreverent, American comedies (Wedding Crashers, Hall Pass, This is 40, Horrible Bosses) you will enjoy this very much.  I don’t usually like them. However, this one had me chuckling.  Jennifer Aniston looks very pretty as well.  It’s fun and forgettable and is reasonably consistent all the way through.  What more can you ask for in a comedy?

STUDIO BLURB
David Burke (Jason Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids-after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). In order to wipe the slate clean-and maintain a clean bill of health-David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad's latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang. (c) WB

Funny interview below with Jennifer Aniston on We’re The Millers.



Elysium ★★★
Opens in Australia: 15th August, 2013
Other Countries:          Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS

After the very original science fiction flick District 9, all sci-fi fans were eagerly awaiting Director and writer Neil Blomkamp’s next venture.  Elysium is not the fabulous follow-up we had expected.  It’s riddled with more plot-holes than you can poke a crutch at (you’ll get the joke if you see the film) and the acting is very inconsistent.  I understand that science fiction is made up, however, there are certain physics rules you need to stick to, and if you break them you need to explain how.  So, when I see a ship crash land on  Elysium because it’s open to space, I question how the oxygen doesn’t escape, or why Elysium is always seen from the same spot on Earth, and why they have such good security against ships landing, and then they don’t just to suit the plot.
It’s also just a little bit repetitive on the apartheid theme Blomkamp handled so well in District 9. Hopefully, he will take heed of the mixed reviews and try something new next time.  I will say this, the spaceships look very real even if the acting doesn’t
I would probably give this a lower rating but everyone in my family enjoyed it, as did a sci-fi  friend, so maybe it was just me.

STUDIO BLURB
In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet's crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium - but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens' luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission - one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces - but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well. -- (C) Sony

What have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree? Share your thoughts with us.


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